Flint water crisis
Flint Water Crisis
The Flint Water Crisis (pronunciation: /flɪnt wɔːtər ˈkraɪsɪs/) is a public health crisis that started in 2014, after the drinking water source for the city of Flint, Michigan was changed to the Flint River.
Etymology
The term "Flint Water Crisis" is derived from the name of the city where the crisis occurred, Flint, and the nature of the problem, which was a crisis related to the city's water supply.
Background
In April 2014, Flint changed its water source from treated Detroit Water and Sewerage Department water (sourced from Lake Huron and the Detroit River) to the Flint River. Officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors to the water. As a result, lead from aging pipes leached into the water supply, leading to extremely high levels of the heavy metal neurotoxin. In Flint, between 6,000 and 12,000 children were exposed to drinking water with high levels of lead.
Health Effects
The lead poisoning (pronunciation: /lɛd ˈpɔɪzənɪŋ/) from the water caused a range of serious health problems in the residents of Flint, especially in children, including learning difficulties, behavioral problems, and lowered IQ. There were also 12 deaths from Legionnaires' disease (pronunciation: /liːdʒəˈneərz dɪˈziːz/) that were likely caused by the change in water source.
Response and Aftermath
The response to the crisis by city, state, and federal officials was widely criticized. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (pronunciation: /ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmɛntəl prəˈtɛkʃən ˈeɪdʒənsi/) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) (pronunciation: /ˈmɪʃɪɡən dɪˈpɑːrtmənt ɒv ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmɛntəl kwɒˈlɪti/) have faced significant criticism for their slow and inadequate response.
The Flint water crisis has led to numerous lawsuits, the replacement of Flint's lead pipes, and a nationwide discussion about infrastructure and water quality.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Flint water crisis
- Wikipedia's article - Flint water crisis
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski